The Wolf Marshal's Pack (U.S. Marshal Shifters 3)

“Plus, I need glasses,” Luke said.

“So wear glasses,” Colby said. “Girls dig glasses.”

“We do,” Aria added for good measure.

Luke shook his head. “Eli broke them. He says I’m just extra baggage.”

“He’s wrong.”

Luke gave them a sad, slanting smile. “Yeah, well, you can put that on my gravestone when he kills me for giving you two the time of day.”

“Eli’s not going to find out you talked to us,” Colby said calmly. “I won’t let him.”

“You couldn’t stop him. He always gets what he wants.”

“Couldn’t stop him? Which one of us is here and which one ran away with his tail between his legs? I’m chasing Eli. He’s the one running away.”

Luke shook his head. “He’s chasing too.”

“Who’s he chasing?” Aria said.

Luke looked down, his expression almost ashamed, and the answer hit her.

Me.

6

Colby saw Aria’s face freeze for just a second before she forced her expression back into neutral.

She’d already been worried that Eli Hebbert would be on the lookout for her. But there was a big difference between worrying and knowing.

All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. At least he could do the second half of that.

“It’ll be okay. He’d have to get through me first, and trust me, he can’t.”

“He’s pretty tough,” Luke said unhelpfully.

Aria said, “So is Colby.”

She met Luke’s gaze evenly, like she was daring him to even try saying Eli was tougher.

Luke might have been a backwoods werewolf with no human skills beyond what he’d scraped up from convenience store runs and superhero movies, but he apparently knew enough to back away from that look while he still could.

Colby could press the kid further on Eli’s plans, but he didn’t know how far he would get.

He didn’t think there was any love lost between Luke and his cousin, but he could tell Eli had been Luke’s alpha. That bond didn’t break easily, no matter how badly the alpha wolf had treated their pack.

Even if Luke wanted to help them, he’d have to fight his instincts the whole way. That kind of internal warfare could leave a young wolf’s psychology in tatters.

And against all odds, Colby actually liked this kid. He thought that away from Eli Hebbert’s bullshit, Luke would be just fine.

But he had to poke around a little. His mate’s safety could depend on it.

“How does Eli like to operate?”

Some of the color bled out of Luke’s face, making him look pinched and even younger than before, and he shook his head silently.

Colby kept his voice low and calm. “Anything would help.”